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Of your five senses, the first to register to your waking mind was the feeling of arms wrapped around you, weighing on your torso.
Then, you heard gentle snoring from beside you along with the morning birds chirping away.
A familiar scent filled you with comfort as you breathed in.
And finally, as you opened your eyes, squinting through the initial burst of bright light even under the tent roof, you turned and smiled at Prompto dozing off while holding you close.
You breathed out, lidded eyes on your sleeping lover. You loved watching him sleep, so beautiful and unaware, soft hair all messy and pink lips parted. The rhythmic rising and falling of both of your chests, your legs entwined with his, laying shielded from the world in his solid arms—it all covered you in a feeling of resolute safety. Like all the peace in the world formed into a singularity in the form of you and him in bed together on a sunny morning.
Inhale, exhale.
For the longest time, you had associated waking up in the morning with fear. Living near and eventually training in army bases under the possibility of attacks, then joining the prince’s road trip party where you’d have to spend many mornings up-and-at-em to fight or train… you were all too familiar with that feeling of caution, gilded only by the veil of bleary sleepiness until the alarm bells went off and you’d jump start into consciousness, the very real threat of danger bursting through like wind to a curtain.
But, when you got closer with the group’s gunslinger, became charmed by his kind and upbeat personality, and were comforted through enough nightmare wake-ups by him and those sweet, half-moon eyes, you had only ever felt safe whenever you woke up nowadays. With him.
You somehow found so much peace in a life of violence.
You breathed in and out again.
The birds continued with their morning songs, and you could distantly hear the quiet noises of Ignis cooking breakfast for everyone. As much as you’d like to stay here, cradled under the blanket of morning, with Prompto’s face so close you could count his freckles, you could already sense his waking by the slight shifting of his body and his face scrunching a little.
His pretty eyes, somehow always twinkling with that crystalline baby blue, opened. His lips pulled into a smile and you watched his gaze dart down to yours and back up. He let out a soft grunt as his arms extended, stretching, then slung back to pull you closer.
“Hiya.” He greeted, a slight rasp to his voice.
“Good morning, cutie.” You reach up to brush a tuft of blond away from his face.
“You're the cutie, cutie,” he mutters, kissing the tip of your nose before hiding his face in your neck and whining, “getting up is gonna be the wooorst… I just wanna stay here all day.”
You giggled, running your hands through his soft hair.
“You’re so dramatic.”
Prompto, of course, doubled down, his grip around you tightening.
“Really, I must have seriously angered a god in a past life to have to be pulled away from here and you. Five more minutes please…”
“Uh-huh? You think this angry god would spare you five more minutes?”
“No way. This angry god being Iggy…” Prompto murmured with a pout, peeking out to look at you as you laughed and continued to pet his head.
Suddenly, a whewf sounded from the fabric of the tent flap being pulled up sharply. You and Prompto strained to see who was at the entrance from your tangled position, and instead of your sandy-haired friend, it was the distinct towering frame of Gladio who had come to wake you up.
“Get up, lovebirds, we didn’t get you two this tent for you to stay in all day.” He scoffed.
You sat up, stretching your arms up and yawning. Prompto followed and you couldn’t help but get a greedy look at whatever his loose tank top revealed of his body. The freckles covering his pale skin, the strength resting in his toned arms, all taut and sculpted muscles. You loved his arms.
You grinned to yourself, probably a little dumbly. Prompto caught your look, raising a brow.
“Why? What’s gotcha smiling?”
You only shook your head, starting to get up, mentally saying your goodbyes to the tranquil moment with Prompto in the cozy space of the tent.
“Mm, nothing. C’mon! I think I smell your favourite.”
…
You threw your arms up, thoroughly enjoying the cool sea breeze whipping through your hair and the sun warming your skin. You let out a refreshed sigh.
“Aahh, I love the drive to Caem! Hey, Noct, let’s switch, I wanna see the sea!”
He sighed, maneuvering with you as you clambered over to the outermost seat while the car was still moving. Most of the time, you were fine with sitting in between Gladio and Noctis, but sometimes you wanted to properly enjoy the view.
“Having fun, (Y/N)?” Ignis asked, amused, from his spot in front of you in the driver’s seat.
“You really like the ocean, huh?” Prompto chuckled, as you leaned forward, kneeling on the car seat and bracing with your hands on the top edge of the door.
“Sure do, it’s so pretty, Altissia’s gonna be so fun.”
“D’you want the camera to snap a pic?” You heard the clink of him taking his camera off his belt loop.
Your eyes relaxed and you leaned forward a little more, enjoying the pleasures of driving around in a convertible. The wind in your hair, the open view. You watched the vast expanse of water glitter under the sun.
“Mmm… I think only you could do this view justice.”
Prompto didn’t reply for a beat, and you looked back to see if he had heard you. When you did, you saw him holding his camera in front of him, staring at it with a smile. When he noticed you looking at him, he shot you a wide grin, turning the camera to show you the screen. It was a picture of you.
“Oh, yeah, I think so too. Look at you, you're so pretty!"
"Oh my gosh- you goof."
You blushed, letting out a surprised laugh. In your sudden motion, you had knocked back into Noctis, much to his annoyance.
“Ow, jeez, can’t you just share the front seat with Prompto?”
“What, like on his lap?”
The man in question startled, face pink and eyes wide. “H-Huh?! I mean-“
You were already giggly and Prompto’s flushed expression only caused your laughter to grow. Eventually, he joined in, and you basked in this sliver of time spent under the summer sun’s golden, with the pretty sound of Prompto’s laughter catching the current of the strong sea winds.
At some point, Noctis spotted a rest stop and suggested pulling over for gas and to replenish your supply of potions. Ignis had parked in front of the store. Noctis stayed back to refill the car, Gladio and Ignis went to the nearby diner to take on a new hunt, leaving you and Prompto to check out the store.
You really loved the small moments in the day where you had the opportunity to be alone with your boyfriend. It felt domestic, amidst the usual action and violence surrounding your activities.
So here you two were, browsing the shelves for whatever the group needed, little shopping spree at the rest stop store, Prompto holding the bag you threw what you could find into.
"Noct is definitely spiting me by taking us fishing there…"
"'Cus of the sahagin? You'll be a-okay, just think of 'em as… giant lizards."
"A), I despise lizards, b), what if it was giant spiders, hm?"
Prompto paused to shudder, he himself holding a strong distaste for creepy crawlers.
"Ugh… okay, yikes, I get it. But really, don't let it weigh on ya, you got your trusty Prompto at your side!"
You giggled. "Of course. Now, what was it Noct said?- oh, one repair kit..."
"Can't forget the elixirs Iggy wanted,"
"Right," you grabbed one off the shelf, "catch!"
He bent his knees a little, holding and shifting the little bag so the elixir you tossed landed inside. You gave him a playful little clap.
"Heh, you know your guy famed for his aim."
You laughed, amused. "Totally… hey! Why don't you prove it?"
"Uh-huh?" Prompto raised a brow as you walked over to stand infront of him.
"Close your eyes."
"…Should I be scared?"
"C'mon, just do it!"
"Alright, alright, I got it, babe, but I'll be seriously betrayed if this isn't a surprise kiss…"
You giggled at him standing there with his eyes closed holding the little shopping bag in one hand.
"Close! Try and guess my height to kiss me."
You watched in adoration as his freckled cheeks grew pink, and you should have guessed he had something up his sleeve from how a little smirk crept onto his face.
"Okay, I see how it is…"
He shifted, but he was a little bit too high. Then, he said,
"Forehead."
And pressed his lips to your forehead. He moved lower…
"Nose."
A peck to your nose.
One more shift down, and he was level to your face.
"Last but not least,"
Then, he kissed you. Gentle and chaste, leaving you entirely warm and buzzing to your toes.
"Lips!" He remarked conclusively, opening his eyes. He grinned proudly—and a little smugly, by that mischevious glint in his eye—and crossed his arms. You couldn't help but laugh, half from amusement and half from how flustered his little stunt made you, your heart racing.
“Show-off…" your eye caught on something behind him, "hey, look, isn’t that the gadget you were looking for?” You pointed at a familiar-looking object on a shelf for weapon stuff. You recognized it as something he had told you about a few weeks ago.
“Hm? Oh! That’s the stock that goes with one of my guns!” He grinned, going over to inspect it. You smiled to yourself.
‘Nerd,’ you thought, thoroughly endeared, as Prompto strode over and grabbed the item. You watched his deft hands carefully fiddle with the object. It was always funny to you, that he was possibly the actual incarnation of sunshine, all sweet and awkward, yet he walked around wearing all black and studded accessories while extremely skilled with firearms.
“It’s so neat, it spreads out the recoil force so my aiming’ll be smoother. ‘Specially good ‘cus the gun’s an automatic.” He turned to you, bringing his gloved hand up and stretching it out, “also gives my hands an easier time. Cool, right?”
“It is! And yeah, the blisters you get look painful, this’ll be a good upgrade.” You nodded, ready to take it with you to the counter. But, to your surprise, he gave it a last look and placed it back down with a shake of his head.
“Huh? You’re not getting it?”
“Um- well…”
He looked a little bashful, shifting his weight.
“I just… think I should improve a little more. I already rely a lot on tech, unlike you guys…”
“What? That’s not true, you’re good, put your guns in anyone else’s hands and they wouldn’t be able to pack nearly as hard a punch."
He gave you a sheepish, lopsided smile.
“Ah- I guess that's true, but…” he crossed his arms, resolved, “you always get better when you’re playing on hard-mode!”
You tilted your head, lips pursed and brows slightly furrowed. You knew that despite how he acted, there was still self-doubt hiding under his carefree attitude. You didn’t like it at all when he would downplay his own skill. It didn’t make sense for him to see himself as a weak link when he’s the one who had the determination and optimism to go out of his way to train and learn entirely new things just to accompany his friend… but you supposed you couldn’t stop him from wanting to improve.
“Hmm, if you say so..”
Though you would definitely come back to buy it for him.
…
The seat rumbled under your thighs as the car rolled to a stop at Cape Caem. Ignis had parked on the overpass near the stairway down to the shore so you all could go down to the fishing dock quicker, which was the reason you had journeyed all the way here, Noctis wanted to go fishing. When you exited the car you stretched out your limbs, and in doing so, you felt a drop of water land on your skin. Looking up, you noticed the once vibrant blue of the sky shifting into a cloudier white.
"Looks like some rain is coming our way." Ignis remarked, stepping out of the car.
"Ugh, hey, Noct, finish fishing suuper quickly."
"No way, rain is great for fishing."
You were all making your way down the stairs to the rocky area below, your steps clacking wetly against the stone slowly being covered in rainwater. Prompto made it a point to walk behind you, and you listened to Noctis and him chatting at your back. Looking ahead, you spotted what you had been fearing on the way here. Roaming by the water were the scaly, water-shooting reptiles that you had an irrational fear of. Sahagins.
Knowing this, Prompto gave you a reassuring smile and placed a guiding hand on your upper back as you neared the area, readying to sneak by them. As you did, crouching slowly around their line of sight, you heard him murmur to you.
"Man, the ocean's so cool, too bad the creatures aren't."
"Y-yeah..." You replied, unnerved.
The rock under your feet was slippery, the rain starting to come down harder, so it shouldn't have been a surprise when a small stone slid down and alerted the sahagins. There were three of them, and one already pounced closer to where you all were.
"Get ready…" you heard Gladio say as everyone summoned their weapons, your chained mace sitting comfortably in your hands.
"Let us make quick work of this."
"This'll be nothing."
"…never fear, Prompto's here!" You chuckled at Prompto's little battle cry, watching him smile when he noticed.
You bit the inside of your cheek as your group approached, starting to land blows on the enemies. The blur of battle whirled around you in rapid movements and sparks of blue from magic. You easily got into the flow of it, pushing aside your fears—after all, if you let little phobias get in the way, you would not have made it this far—and dodging, swinging, and striking together with your friends when you could. The rain pattered on, getting more and more intense, not that it mattered much with all of the water that the sahagin were shooting out. You landed a blow on one, making it collapse. The wet handle of your mace slid a little in your grip, and you made a mental note to be careful with that.
You turned from the downed creature, running over to join an attack with Gladio, 'one down, two to go, then it's over. It'll be—'
You saw the widening of Gladio's eyes as he turned to you before you felt it. A strong stream of water spraying onto your back. You stumbled forward, and just like that, your mace slipped out of your hands.
"Shit!"
The sahagin crawled closer, making your heart race at the sudden vulnerability, and you instinctively went to summon a magic flask Nocits gave you.
But as it materialized in your hand…
"You have to be kidding me…"
It was empty, and the beast had pounced.
"(Y/N)!" Prompto's voice yelled out. "Hang in there!"
Every inch of you was shaking. The sharp, reptilian eyes, the pointed teeth, the icky feel of the hard scales... you only had so much of a threshold for containing your terror until it had to spike. Heart beating so fast it hurt, you struggled fiercely under the creature. Your eyes darted to that head of light blond, jarring against the grey, thundering sky. He was wounded as well, tense and struggling to move quickly, but he was still trying just to get to you.
"You need to use this!" Noctis threw him a potion, noticing his friend almost keeled over and stumbling.
"I'm fine! (Y/N)'s—" The sahagin's clawed feet moved to press down on one of your shoulders and legs, and it hurt.
"Prompto! Don't. Push. Yourself. She'll be fine." Gladio's voice boomed, pushing Prompto to reluctantly use the curative with an irritated groan.
He then rushed over, shooting rapidly at the creature above you, easing the pressure on your aching shoulder.
"Off of her!"
He was landing shot after shot until another one locked onto him, forcing him to turn and attack that one. You managed to use the opportunity to land a strike with your dagger, but the sahagin clawed back at you, leaving a deep, nasty gash from your shoulder to just above your chest. The pain distracted you, blanking for a moment. Then, the weight was gone. Ignis pushed the creature off with a strike of his lances.
You thanked Ignis, and Prompto was at your side in a second, helping you up, brows furrowed and blue eyes dripping with blaring concern.
"Hey, hey, are you okay?- Oh gosh, that looks really bad, we need to- to bandage it up, right? Yeah. I can do that. Does it hurt too bad? We have-"
His fretting feathered off when you ruffled his hair, smiling with endearment at his worry.
"I'll be just fine…" you hissed from the cold air hitting the bleeding wound, "My leg is probably pretty bruised up as well. Bandages would be great…" you brought a hand to the area of the scratch, wincing and pulling back when they connected. Prompto had a deep frown on his face when Ignis spoke up.
"Certainly, we shall tend to your wounds at the haven nearby. I suppose Noctis's fishing session will have to wait." The man in question shrugged at that, also fixing you with a concerned expression of his own.
Prompto nodded eagerly.
"Totally, way easier to carry her to there instead of all the way to the house. Not that I wouldn't."
You blinked. "Huh-"
"Aaand up you go!" Just like that, Prompto was carrying you off and up to the haven, his arms under your back and knees while he smiled sweetly down at you. Being held so close to him, his scent flooded your senses, overriding the smell of the sea and rain. Your heart racing for a different reason now, you shyly fidget with the studs on his jacket on the way to the site. You were quiet the whole time, and Prompto was the same. Though, it was a little odd to you, expecting him to be talkative as usual, but you brushed it off in consideration of the unexpectedly tiring fight.
All of you had arrived at the haven, and the sky was starting to clear, revealing the pretty shades of the slowly darkening sky over the horizon of the sea.
"Wow, so now the rain clears up…" Prompto murmured from infront of you, making you turn away from the view to him. You smiled. He looked nice like this, kneeling infront of you as you sat criss-cross on the rock, the campfire behind him giving him a glowy orange outline.
It would be a lie to say you weren't entirely awestruck when he stood up only to shed his rain-soaked jacket, leaving him in just his dark grey tank top. You had to force yourself to not keep replaying the scene of him rushing to help you, handling his gun like a god with that battle-focused expression. Luckily, he was too distracted by getting everything he needed to tend to your wounds to notice your shameless staring.
He kneeled back down before you, bandages and potions beside him.
"Okay, um, sorry, I'm not the best at this… but I'll do my best to patch ya right up."
You smiled reassuringly, tilting your head and gesturing with your head for him to go on. Only, he paused for a moment, blinking. He was looking at your wound.
'Oh,' you thought.
"You need my shirt off, don't you?"
"…Maybe." The pitch of his voice spiked as he brought a hand to the back of his neck, making you chuckle.
"Silly, I can just do this."
You had a top on that was stretchy enough for you to bring your arm through the arm hole and out the neck, albeit with difficulty due to the pain, making your wounded shoulder accessible as well as the part of your chest the claw marks reached.
"Ooh, smart. Ah, jeez, I shoulda thought of that first…" Prompto relaxed. You found it cute how he remained ever flustered at things like this despite having been your boyfriend for a good amount of time now.
"Are you sure you didn't just want my shirt off?"
"No-! I mean- I wouldn't have complained, but- I don't want the others—"
He cut himself off, throwing his head back with a sheepish little smile, "alright, baby, you're distracting me. You're a distraction! I need to be taking care of you."
You laughed, thoroughly entertained, as he began cleaning your wound.
"Gotta tell me if it hurts, 'kay?"
"Mhm."
He continued patting the area with a wet cloth to get rid of the blood and dirt. It did hurt, a little sting from whatever antiseptic he had to work with, but not enough to voice. And you didn't want to upset him, working all gently and gingerly.
You watched him, eyes low and tired, as he went on with cleaning and dressing your wounds. It was a soft, quiet moment, both of you raw and exhausted from battle. The sun started to set, bathing everything in a pretty tint of orange, the air getting colder. The fire crackled on behind Prompto, Noctis and Gladio already sat around it and talking, with Ignis cooking dinner. You breathed out, a slow, calm exhale. Blue eyes turned up to meet yours, checking on you. You smiled.
It made your heart swell a little, how miraculously quickly you were able to calm down, immediately scooped up into the safety of Prompto's presence at the soonest instance of distress.
'I must be the luckiest girl alive.'
"All done! You're a star patient." He sweetly helped you slide your arm back into your sleeve, still achy, but less painful than before.
"Star patients get sweets." You said, pecking him on the cheek. "Thank you, Doctor Argentum, You did great, feels a lot better!"
He chuckled, with a playful little bow for flair, before patting his hands down on his lap and standing up.
"I'm pretty beat, I'll be in the tent, prolly asleep. You go eat dinner with the others."
"Oh, okay. Good night."
"'Night! Feel better," he bent down to place a kiss on your wound, a blessing of healing only he could give.
You watched his back as he left, your lips pursed thoughtfully. He had given you that same old Prompto smile… but with his sudden leave and unusual silence, you could tell there was something bothering him.
'I'll ask him about it tomorrow.'
…
Remnants of a slowly fading dream fissioned from your memory when you snapped awake, chest heaving, eyes pricking.
You grasped for what you could of the nightmare, vaguely recalling only individual senses, the sound of gunshots, the smell of blood and dirt, blurs of unrecognizable shapes, and the feeling of fear.
But when you looked around, it was only the dark interior of the tent, a familiar warmth beside you that your mind was just beginning to recognize, and when your ears stopped ringing, you heard a gentle voice.
"…breathe, you're okay, it's just me, and we're in our tent."
Your frazzled brain absorbed his words, and you instictively did something that was somewhat of a tradition between you and Prompto, with you being well acquainted with occasional nightmares. You placed your hand on his chest, and tried to follow his breaths, syncing up with the rise and fall of his slow breathing.
Inhale, exhale.
When you calmed down enough to notice it, the pain in your shoulder struck, making you wince. Gasping, you put your hand over the bandage.
"Woah, hey, crap- is it bleeding through? I'll get you a potion-"
You grabbed his hand before he could go, worried, tired eyes meeting yours.
"No… it- it's okay, don't go, I- it's not bleeding through- I just- sat up too quickly."
That seemed to calm him down a little bit, and he crawled back over, holding both of your hands between you now. It was grounding, his warm touch, those rough callouses.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Your heart slowed, incrament by incrament, beat per second by beat per second. For every slow breath of his. For every little twitch of his hands in yours. You're hit with that same feeling of wonder. How, after years of struggling with night terrors, fears, anxiety, are you able to so easily calm back down now?
You looked into his eyes in the dark, those baby blues turning cobalt under the night and shadow of the tent. The concern swimming behind them heavy even under the veil of his own barely-awake state.
"Are… you sure you don't need anything?" He asked, softly.
"No, I'm okay, I think."
"Okay." He rubbed slow circles on your knuckles. "Do you want to talk about it? Your nightmare?"
"Oh," you managed a laugh, despite yourself, "I already forgot all about it. I guess I was probably still startled about today."
His head bowed a little, his circles paused.
"Well, you're safe now."
And you knew it was true, not just an oath, a law, whispered as you two melted back together and fell asleep.
…
The next day went by uneventfully. Noct decided to go fishing somewhere else, so you took the trip there. You could very well tell there was something weighing on your usually lively and talkative boyfriend. You had tried to ask him about it while Noct fished,
"Hi, sunshine. You're quiet today."
"Hm? Oh, huh, really?.."
"Mhm. Anything on your mind? You know you can tell me anything."
He had given you a peculiar look then, quiet for a moment with his lips straightened into a line. But he had only smiled, shook his head, said it was nothing. Changed the subject to him training with Gladio later. And you let him be, kept your penny reserved for his thoughts until he was ready to tell you.
Even as he tired himself out training. Even as he stayed oddly silent while helping you replace your bandages. Even as he limped back to the tent, exhausted, crawled into bed with you, leaving you with a goodnight kiss and I love you before knocking out the second his head hit the pillow.
You only felt the regret of not asking further start to creep in—signals sent by the heart when it knows something the mind doesn't—when you woke up in darkness without Prompto next to you.
No rising and falling of his chest, no gentle snoring, no soft hair to brush away from his face while he was asleep.
It must have been very early in the morning. Early enough that the birds weren't up, only the sound of the water rushing from the nearby river, and early enough that Prompto should not have been up and out.
You bit your lip. A terrible, almost forgotten feeling of fear settling like a weighted blanket. And it was oh so cold, alone in your tent.
You patted the space beside you, still warm.
You remembered to breathe, trying to rationalize, to calm yourself down.
'He probably just went to take some sunrise pictures, or use the washroom…"
But you were already opening the flap of your tent when you thought this, because you knew you wouldn't be able to rest with that heavy gut feeling eating away at you. Wouldn't be able to rest without making sure he's okay. Wouldn't be able to rest until you at least tried…
You wouldn't be able to rest without him.
"Prompto?"
He wasn't anywhere near camp, not out dragging Noctis to help him with a photo idea, not sitting on the haven ledge thinking like he sometimes did when he was thinking. Your concern only grew, So you ventured off, nearing the river. You weren't planning on going beyond it, not at all.
That was until you heard something in the distance that was equally relieving as it was worrying.
The piercing sound of a gunshot, echoing through the woods.
Step after step on slippery rocks, you hastily crossed the river.
You remembered to breathe, deeply, carefully, even as your heart pounded. Pain bloomed on your shoulder from the exertion, you put your arm over it while you ran, following only the sound of gunshots through the forest.
Breathe.
Gunshot after gunshot, the trill of raining bullets, almost like the twittering of a morning bird.
Breathe.
The cold air was beginning to sting like needles down your throat when you saw him.
You spotted him first, of course, that head of light blond against the dark background of the forest, and then the scene crafted itself around him. His gun in hand shooting bullet after bullet at the giant wasps surrounding him. You could tell he had already taken a handful of hits just from looking at his back.
"Prompto!"
You yelled, harsh and raw. His name didn't roll off your tongue this time, it scratched its way through your throat from your gut, like a bullet down a chamber. Feeling scared, hurt, and a little angry. A kind of anger that didn't go anywhere, not to anyone. Not to Prompto, who whipped around at the sound of your voice, eyes widening in shock.
The state of him made your heart twist. Scratched and bruised, clearly exhausted, way over his limit for a single day. But you didnt have time to dwell on it when one of the angry buzzing creatures locked on to you at the same time he did, speeding towards you.
"Ah- (Y/N)!"
In a split second, you summoned your mace into the hand of your unwounded arm, swinging it at the enemy. At the same time, he gave it one strong shot, making it collapse.
He ran over to you. Immediately, your battle insticts took hold of both of your reins, Prompto standing infront of you and you turning in preparation to cover his back. And, really, the reasonable thing to do would have been to focus entirely on fighting the wasps, putting your mind to making sure your weapons connected with the enemy.
But it wasn't exactly reason on the forefront of your mind right now.
"Why the hell did you run off?!" You screamed, swinging your mace at a wasp that had pivoted to your side.
"And without any of us?! You could have run into a swarm of daemons! Imperials!!"
It was hard to use your weapon as well as you usually did without the balance and support of your other arm, and you knew you only had a bit until the adrenaline strength wore off and your arm would start getting tired.
"None of us would have been here if you got hurt!"
Prompto was tense at your back.
"I just- the…" well aimed shots rained down on another approaching wasp, "the newest hunt we—"
He sounded panicked, terrified. His voice shakey and unstable. His aim stayed perfect.
"No! Give me the real reason! You hate bugs! You hate being alone!"
Swing, shot. Wasps hitting the
"I-"
His finger on the trigger again and again, the muscles in your arm burning from the weight of your weapon.
"I- Gah- I just-"
Another one hit the ground.
"I needed to prove to myself that I'm strong enough to protect you!"
Your eyes widened. You turned to see his face. Only, a wasp had started zipping towards you. He noticed, grabbing you around your shoulders immediately and pulling you down against his chest as he fired at it with quick succession, stunning it.
He continued, and you didn't dare interrupt, "I messed up that day! I knew you were terrified of those things and when you were grabbed by one I was licking my wounds!"
He followed you as you ran to the downed wasp to finish it, making sure you weren't hit on the way.
"I messed up, and it's killing me! You wouldn't have been hurt if I got there sooner!"
Your arm was completely done, bone tired, the whole limb feeling like it's on fire. Your weapon dangled weakly as you stayed sheltered against him, his arm that wasn't shooting wrapped tightly around you, holding you close.
"Then you had that nightmare and- it made me feel awful because none of that should have happened in the first place!"
"Prom- there's too many-!" Your voice shook when you finally spoke.
His wide eyes sharpened, a newfound focus reeling in. The panic and vulnerability and emotion dripping in his speech seemingly dissipating with his next words.
"No."
Another round of gunshots. Blurring shapes of yellow whirring around in the darkness, the occasional bright flare of his gun.
"I can't get it out of my head,"
"On your left!" Bang. Bang. Bang.
"If I had just been faster, stronger…"
You wondered when it would end. All you wanted was to reassure him, to tell him every thought running through your head.
"So I can at least do this."
You shut your eyes, overwhelmed.
"I got this."
Bloody with wounds and all bruised up, you could tell he was getting tired. It was an honest feat that his exhaustion had only now flared up considering just how much he pushed himself already.
"So I can really, properly tell you,"
It sounded like there were only a few more.
"That you're safe with me."
The wasps were cleared. Not one still moving. You heard some distant movement in the forest, brightening up slowly from the sunrise, but none of that mattered when Prompto collapsed from sheer overexertion. By some luck, the others had already been up, and, noticing your absence, already began searching for you. They ran into the scene just in time. The rest was a blur. Bringing him back to the camp, answering their questions when they asked what happened, and the tension between the two of you when Prompto woke up and you two were seperated, Noct interrogating him and Ignis talking to you.
So when the others finally let you two be alone together, it snapped. You ran over to him, sitting off to the edge of the haven while everyone else was talking at the fire, and hugged him tight.
"(Y/N)…"
"I'm so glad you're okay…" you pulled out the bag of curatives and first-aid stuff, "Ignis told me to tend to your wounds, so, you know, we'll be even."
You gave him a weak smile.
You started to wipe the dirt off of his skin.
"I'm.. I'm sorry. Oh, gods, I'm- really super sorry. That was so stupid… and I put you in danger, I—"
He stopped at the sight of your glossy eyes when you looked up at him, his words getting stuck in his throat when he saw your forming tears.
"What's wrong? Did- did you get hurt anywhere?"
"No… no, no that's not it at all, Prompto, I-"
You harshly wiped at your eyes.
"…what happened a day ago, it wasn't anyone's fault. No one. It was an off-chance thing."
"But—"
"No. It just happened to be raining, I lost hold of my weapon. I got distracted, everyone was occupied. And you were hurt. But so what? We all need to heal up at some point. It was just bad luck, and we were all caught in bad places. It would’ve been worse had you not helped take the sahagin down, even!”
You watched his eyes dance around your face, skipping back and forth between your eyes, your mouth, scanning and searching. Eventually, he turned his head away, looking defeated.
"It's not… just that. I couldn't… I'm not super smart and strategic like Iggy, not rugged and tough like Gladio, and I can't warp and do everything Noctis can. I… can't stop thinking I'm not the one who can always be there and protect you."
"Prompto…"
He brought his hands up suddenly.
"A-and I know you're crazy strong! Really, with that huge weapon? You're amazing in combat, one of the best I know… but…"
You brought your hand to gently cradle his cheek, heart fracturing a little when he sniffled. You waited for the tear to slide down slowly to swipe it away.
"Anything could happen. And I desperately wanna have what it takes to be there no matter what. But I'm—"
"Can't you see it?"
Your voice cracked. A splinter in a dam of desperation. There was something so painful about it. Your peace in a life of violence acting like there's anything in the world that even comes close to him.
"I swear, with all my heart, I never feel more safe than when I'm with you."
He blinked rapidly, looking pained. You continued.
"Please, stop downplaying just how much you do for me."
Bringing your other hand to cup his face, making him look right at you, your eyes pierced through his. He needed to hear this. You needed to be sure he was listening.
"Before we were together… I didn't know what a peaceful morning was. I didn't know how to deal with my nightmares. I couldn't be vulnerable. But then you came along. Skilled and fast and worked your guns and tech like nothing I've ever seen… and all while being the kindest most uplifting person ever. Seriously, the first time I saw you smile, I wondered if I would ever see anything brighter."
He bowed his head, wisps of a smile ghosting his lips as his brows knit together.
"Really! And it- it's crazy to me that you think you're not enough because you're so much than enough for me. You're perfect. I wonder every single day what I did to deserve you."
He was blushing furiously now, unable to fight it. And that was perfect for you. You would happily spend your days batting away his own self-depracating thoughts with praise and reassurance until he couldn't help but see himself and be entirely, wholy, proud of who he is.
"I…" he watched you with wide eyes. He looked both resigned and eager, like he was trying to stop himself from listening to the praise he most certainly deserved.
"And I would give anything," you slid your arms to his chest, resting there, much like how you would after a nightmare, "for you to see yourself the way I see you. You're strong, and sweet, and smart with your gadgets, and my absolute sunshine. Just being near you is enough for me to calm down.
"If you're still doubting just how much you've done for me… know that I wasn't like this before you, I wasn't as carefree and relaxed. It was you who brought that out of me. You, Prompto. Not Ignis, not Gladio, not Noct. And that has helped me through so much that we've been through. So, please, don't you dare think that because of one mishap, you aren't enough to make me feel safe."
You clutched the front flaps of his jacket.
"Because I can't even picture it being anyone else but you."
After that, you only saw his glossy eyes, ripe with emotion, for a single second before he shook his head and wrapped his arms around you.
He was silent for a moment, save for a few sniffles, while you rubbed his back. Like he didn't know what to say. And that was fine with you. You didn't need him to say anything, you just needed to know he understood you. And you would do whatever it takes to ensure that.
"…I love you so much."
He said, finally.
"I'm so lucky to have you," you whispered back.
He pulled away slightly, only to poke your nose.
"No, I'm lucky to have you."
A soft laugh escaped you.
"Didn't you hear everything I just said! I'm the one lucky to have you." You both began giggling, giddy from the moment, hearts swelling with love and adoration. He huffed in faux frustration, a smile on his face.
"Fine, compromise." He said, pulling away slightly, looking down his nose at you.
”I’m lucky to have your love and listen to you talk and wake up next to you and see that cutie smile every day…”
You played along, blushing and grinning.
“Uh-huh?”
”Aaand you’re lucky…” he had a mischievous smile on his face, “to have me dutifully protecting you.”
You laughed. He was trying to let you know he understood you, that your words reached him, in the usual, dramatic, Prompto fashion.
"Of course, though it’s way more than that… I suppose that works for now. Deal."
And as the night went on with resurfacing warmth and levity as you cleaned his wounds, you knew it was true. Knew it was true as you fell asleep, clinging to each other, safe and sound in each other's arms.